Cyberpunk 2077: Complete Main Story Walkthrough
Introduction
Cyberpunk 2077's main story spans three distinct Acts, plus a prologue, weaving V's rise through Night City's mercenary ranks against the ticking clock of the Relic biochip overwriting their consciousness. This walkthrough covers every main job from the Nomad, Street Kid, or Corpo lifepath through to the final confrontation at Arasaka Tower, including all five ending variants and the secret (Don't Fear) The Reaper ending unlocked through specific dialogue choices during Chippin' In.
The story has two critical branching points: the outcome of The Pickup in Act 1 (which determines whether Maelstrom becomes hostile and whether Meredith Stout survives), and the Oil Fields conversation with Johnny during Chippin' In, which is the sole trigger for the secret ending. Every other choice along the way determines which endings are available once Nocturne Op55N1 begins. Panam's questline (Queen of the Highway, We Gotta Live Together) is mandatory for The Star ending. Rogue's questline (Blistering Love) is mandatory for The Sun ending. Takemura must survive Search and Destroy for The Devil ending. Completing Panam, Rogue, and the secret dialogue unlocks all four base options on the rooftop.
Prologue: Lifepath (Street Kid / Nomad / Corpo)
All three lifepaths converge at the same point — meeting Jackie Welles — and share the same main story from The Rescue onward. However, each lifepath provides unique dialogue options, optional objectives, and flavor throughout the game.
Street Kid: V returns to Night City from Atlanta after a failed venture. You start in El Coyote Cojo with Kirk Sawyer and a botched car theft job. Unique dialogue options arise in Watson gigs, with Padre Ibarra, and during Automatic Love when navigating Clouds. The Street Kid exclusive option during I Walk the Line lets you defuse the Animals confrontation without combat by referencing your Heywood connections.
Nomad: V leaves the Bakker clan and crosses into Night City through the Badlands border checkpoint. You smuggle an iguana with Jackie. Nomad-specific vehicle knowledge unlocks unique dialogue with Panam early in Ghost Town and lets you intuit the Basilisk's controls during Queen of the Highway without the Technical Ability check. Nomad dialogue also appears with the Aldecaldos throughout Act 2.
Corpo: V is fired from Arasaka Counterintelligence by Abernathy via Arthur Jenkins. You confront your former boss at Lizzie's Bar. Corpo dialogue grants unique insight during The Heist (recognizing the layout of Konpeki Plaza), Automatic Love (navigating corporate security protocols), and Gimme Danger (knowing the Arasaka Industrial Park patrol patterns). The Corpo lifepath also unlocks a special threatening dialogue option against Woodman during Automatic Love, bypassing the Body check.
Act 1: The Heist
The Rescue
V and Jackie rescue Sandra Dorsett from a Scavenger hideout in Watson. This is the tutorial for basic combat, scanning, and stealth. Loot the Apparition smart pistol from the room with the bathtub — it's one of the earliest smart weapons and remains viable through midgame. After returning Sandra to the Trauma Team, you meet Wakako Okada, who becomes your fixer for Westbrook.
Key choice: Your behavior here dictates whether the Maelstrom front door encounter during The Pickup is hostile. Non-lethal or stealth completion earns you a bit of street cred with the local fixers but has minimal long-term impact.
The Ripperdoc
Meet Viktor Vector in Little China, Watson. You receive the Kiroshi Optical Scanner (enabling scanning and quickhack targeting) and the Ballistic Coprocessor (ricochet trajectory). The interaction with Misty introduces tarot cards, which foreshadow each major story beat. Pay Viktor back within the first few hours — he sends a reminder message after a few in-game days. Clearing the debt before The Heist unlocks a unique dialogue acknowledgment.
The Pickup
V and Jackie negotiate with Maelstrom for the Flathead military drone from All Foods plant in Northside. This is the first major branching quest with lasting consequences.
Meredith Stout path: Visit Meredith at the No-Tell Motel before meeting Jackie. Accept her credit chip and either use it on the Maelstrom (removing the malware triggers a full combat sequence) or negotiate with Royce without using it. If you hack the chip and remove the virus, you can kill Royce and escape with both the Flathead and Meredith's chip clean. This results in Meredith surviving, Brick returning to lead Maelstrom (if you free him from the locked room), and access to the Sir John Phallustiff iconic melee weapon later.
Royce alliance path: Pay with Meredith's untampered chip (or your own eddies). Royce lets you walk. Later, Maelstrom remains hostile in the city and Meredith is found dead in the water near the Ebunike. This locks you out of the Sir John Phallustiff weapon.
Violence path: Go in shooting regardless of chip status. The Flathead must be retrieved from the manufacturing floor after the firefight. Less optimal for loot but faster for repeat playthroughs.
Free Brick: In the back room of All Foods, find a locked door with a detonator nearby. Disarm the detonator and open the door to free Brick. This ensures Brick — the original Maelstrom leader who opposes chromed-out insanity — retakes control and makes Maelstrom non-hostile in open world encounters, plus unlocks a unique resolution during Second Conflict in Act 2.
The Information
V meets Dexter DeShawn at the Afterlife to plan the Konpeki Plaza heist. Dex gives you 30 minutes real-time to prepare. Critical prep: buy the Reinforced Tendons cyberware from any ripperdoc for double jump — this trivializes the escape platforming section. Also craft or purchase at least 3-4 MaxDoc Mk.1 inhalers.
Meet Evelyn Parker at Lizzie's Bar. She reveals her own agenda — she plans to cut Dex out of the deal and sell the Relic to NetWatch directly. Selecting the dialogue option to take her side doesn't change the immediate outcome but influences V's internal monologue during Automatic Love and gives extra context for Judy's questline.
The Heist
Infiltrate Konpeki Plaza with Jackie using the Flathead to control the hotel's network. The sequence is linear but includes several collectibles: the Satori iconic katana in the AV landing pad room (the actual AV that brought Saburo), and Yorinobu's journal on the bedside table revealing his relationship with the Relic.
Saburo's arrival: You are locked in the pillar during the confrontation between Saburo and Yorinobu. The glass cannot be broken — this is a scripted sequence. After Yorinobu strangles Saburo, the hotel enters lockdown. T-Bug is fried by ICE and the Arasaka netrunners.
Escape: Fight through Arasaka security to the service elevator then the terrace. Jackie is mortally wounded during the descent. In the Delamain cab, Jackie removes the Relic chip and hands it to V before dying. You can send his body to his family (triggers Heroes side quest for his ofrenda) or to Viktor (cold storage, no ceremony). Always send him to Mama Welles — the Heroes quest is the only way to acquire Jackie's tuned Arch motorcycle and his dual pistols, La Chingona Dorada.
Act 2: No-Turnin' Back
Playing for Time
V wakes up in their apartment with Johnny Silverhand's engram now active in their brain. Johnny explains the Relic is rewriting V's neural pathways, replacing their personality with his. Viktor confirms you have weeks to live. The quest log opens up with three main questlines: Takemura (Down on the Street), Panam (Ghost Town), and Judy/Evelyn (Automatic Love).
The game does NOT require you to complete them in any specific order, but the optimal route is:
- Automatic Love → The Space in Between → Disasterpiece → Double Life (unlocks Pacifica access and the Voodoo Boys encounter)
- Ghost Town → Lightning Breaks → Life During Wartime (unlocks the Aldecaldos camp and Hellman's interrogation)
- Down on the Street → Gimme Danger → Play It Safe → Search and Destroy (the Takemura/Hanako storyline)
Automatic Love (Judy Questline)
Start at Lizzie's Bar. Judy directs you to Clouds, the Tyger Claws-run dollhouse in Japantown. To find Evelyn's booth, you must either scan the NPCs in the main area (hint: talk to Tom in booth 3) or pay the receptionist. Once in the booth, you discover Evelyn has been damaged during a braindance and taken by someone.
In the basement, confront Woodman. You can fight him, use a Body 12 dialogue check to intimidate him, or pay him for the information. Woodman reveals Evelyn was taken to the Fingers clinic in Jig-Jig Street. Corpo lifepath can bypass the Body check with a unique intimidate option referencing Arasaka Counterintelligence.
Disasterpiece
After tracing Evelyn's braindance recording from Fingers' basement (the studio in the back room, not the operating theater), you learn she was sold to the Scavengers. The trail leads to an abandoned power plant in Charter Hill, Santo Domingo. The Scavengers are running a braindance recording and snuff film operation.
Stealth approach: Enter through the roof via the crane for minimal resistance. There's a Technical Ability 12 door on the second floor that bypasses three guard encounters. Body 10 can force open the grate directly below the studio, skipping the entire power plant maze.
The boss encounter is against a Scavenger leader with a Sandevistan implant. Use EMP grenades or the Short Circuit quickhack to disable his sandy, then focus damage on the head. After clearing the room, you find Evelyn in the braindance chair — she's been repeatedly rolled and is catatonic. Carry her out through the side exit.
Double Life
Judy calls V to her apartment in Kabuki to review Evelyn's condition. During the braindance sequence, you relive Evelyn's last moments and discover her contact with the Voodoo Boys was the catalyst for the entire Relic heist. The VDBs hired Evelyn specifically to case Yorinobu's penthouse and commission a braindance of his suite for their own purposes, using Dex as the proxy.
After the BD, Placide and the Voodoo Boys reach out through the Relic, inviting V to Pacifica. This transitions into the Transmission quest.
Ghost Town (Panam Questline)
Afterlife fixer Rogue points V to Panam Palmer, an Aldecaldo nomad who's short on help. Meet her at the Sunset Motel in the Badlands. The job is simple: recover her stolen cargo from Nash and the Raffen Shiv at a cave hideout in Rocky Ridge.
The cave encounter with Nash is the first mandatory vehicle boss fight. Nash rides a modified Thornton Colby with reinforced armor. EMP grenades or the Short Circuit quickhack are essential. After recovering the car and Panam's cargo, you have the option to let Panam take her revenge on Nash directly or finish him yourself. Letting her kill Nash earns significant approval needed for The Star ending path.
Panam then introduces V to the Aldecaldos camp. You meet Mitch, Scorpion, Cassidy, and Saul Bright, the clan leader. Saul is initially hostile to V and dismissive of Panam's plan to raid Kang Tao — a division that underpins the entire Panam questline.
Life During Wartime
Panam's plan: intercept a Kang Tao AV carrying Anders Hellman, the lead Arasaka engineer who created the Relic. The mission splits into two phases.
Phase 1 — Recon: Scout the Kang Tao transit station in the Badlands. You need to tag three key locations: the power substation (enables EMP), the landing pad (where the AV touches down), and the guard barracks. Use the watchtowers for high-ground scanning.
Phase 2 — Intercept: After Panam shoots down the AV with her rocket launcher, fight through Kang Tao reinforcements. The enemy composition is heavy on drones and snipers — bring Overwatch (the sniper from Panam's stash) or any precision rifle. The AV crash site has a timed interaction — if you wait too long, Kang Tao reinforcements will extract Hellman before you reach him.
Once captured, Hellman reveals under questioning that the Relic was designed for Saburo Arasaka himself — specifically engineered to overwrite a host's consciousness with the stored engram. He confirms V has weeks to live but is unable to offer a solution, only that Mikoshi in Arasaka Tower might have the technology to reverse the process.
Transmission (Voodoo Boys)
Placide summons V to the Voodoo Boys' hideout beneath the Grand Imperial Mall in Pacifica. He claims to have a solution for the Relic but first requires V to clear out a NetWatch agent holed up in the GIM. This is a setup — the NetWatch agent, Mosley, is the one who actually has useful information.
Critical choice: Side with Mosley or Placide. If you side with Mosley and take his chip, the Voodoo Boys become hostile after Maman Brigitte's netrunning session. If you side with Placide and fry Mosley, Brigitte keeps her word but Alt Cunningham still reveals the VDBs planned to kill V after the Relic was extracted. Either way, after the cyberspace encounter with Alt Cunningham beyond the Blackwall, V learns the truth: the Voodoo Boys never intended to save V — they wanted Alt's access to the old net for their own agenda.
After returning to physical space, you can choose to spare or kill the Voodoo Boys leadership. There is no long-term consequence difference — they do not appear again in the main story.
Down on the Street (Takemura Questline)
Goro Takemura contacts V through Wakako. Meet him at Tom's Diner in Little China. He presents his plan: gain access to the Arasaka parade float to confront Hanako Arasaka with evidence that Yorinobu murdered Saburo. Takemura has been branded a traitor by Yorinobu's faction and is operating entirely off-grid.
The immediate objective is to find someone who can get Takemura close to Hanako during the parade. This leads to Wakako introducing you to Oda, Hanako's personal bodyguard and a former student of Takemura's. Oda is initially hostile and skeptical but agrees to help if you prove yourself by infiltrating the Arasaka Industrial Park.
Gimme Danger
Infiltrate the Arasaka Industrial Park in Santo Domingo to sabotage the parade float security. This is a heavily guarded Arasaka facility with mechs, turrets, and elite guards.
Optimal approach: The facility has multiple entry points. The most efficient route uses the underground tunnel accessed from a manhole cover south of the compound. This bypasses the perimeter and places you directly beneath the float building. Inside, you need to upload malware to three security terminals while remaining undetected. Power switch sabotage option: the main generator building (marked with a lightning bolt icon) can be disabled for 30 seconds if you pass a Technical Ability 15 check, shutting down all cameras and turrets.
If you're detected, Arasaka deploys heavy mech units that cannot be staggered. The best strategy is to use the elevator shafts for vertical repositioning and abuse Overwatch headshots from elevation.
Play It Safe
The parade sequence. This is one of the most visually spectacular missions in the game. You control a sniper nest position while Takemura works his way toward Hanako's float. V must eliminate three snipers on adjacent rooftops before they spot Takemura. The timing window is generous, but missing causes an instant mission failure.
After the snipers, Oda confronts V on the rooftop. Boss fight against Oda — he uses an Arasaka Sandevistan with a katana and throwing knives. Strategy: He's vulnerable to Shock quickhacks during his slow-mo dodges. Cyberware Malfunction disables his Sandevistan for 10 seconds, during which he moves at normal speed. Defeating Oda yields the Jinchu-Maru iconic katana (100% crit chance when active Kerenzikov/Sandevistan is active).
Post-fight, Takemura abducts Hanako from her float and takes her to a safehouse. She agrees to hear V out at the Embers restaurant — setting up the finale.
Search and Destroy
Arasaka forces raid the safehouse where Takemura and Hanako are staying. The building collapses under sustained assault. V must fight through Arasaka squads to escape through the rubble.
Critical choice — Save or abandon Takemura: After Johnny warns you that the building is coming down, you have the option to go back for Takemura or follow Johnny's advice and escape immediately. You must go back to save Takemura for The Devil ending to be available. He's located one floor up through a collapsed stairwell. The choice is missable and permanent — if you jump out the window without doubling back, Takemura dies and The Devil ending is permanently locked for this playthrough.
Act 3: Nocturne Op55N1
After completing all three main questlines and reaching the point of no return, V meets Hanako at Embers. The meeting confirms that Yorinobu orchestrated Saburo's murder. Hanako offers V a deal: testify before the Arasaka board and help her reclaim the corporation from Yorinobu, in exchange for access to Mikoshi to separate Johnny's engram from V's consciousness.
This is the point of no return. After completing this conversation, the game transitions to the rooftop with Misty, where the final choice is made.
The Rooftop Decision
Misty escorts V to the rooftop of Viktor's clinic, overlooking Night City. Johnny appears, and the two discuss the available options. At this point, the available endings depend entirely on quest completion:
| Ending | Requirements |
|---|---|
| The Devil | Takemura survived Search and Destroy |
| The Sun | Completed Rogue's questline (Blistering Love) |
| The Star | Completed Panam's questline (Queen of the Highway) |
| Temperance | Any of the above (choose to let Johnny take the body) |
| (Don't Fear) The Reaper | Oil Fields dialogue: "Nah, fucked that up too" → "What do you want from me?" → "OK. But as second chances go, this is your last" |
All Five Endings
The Devil (Arasaka / Hanako Path)
V sides with Hanako Arasaka and assaults Arasaka Tower with the corporation's support. The assault is led by Takemura (if alive) or Hellman (if Takemura is dead). After confronting Yorinobu, the Arasaka board reinstates Saburo's engram — which was stored in Mikoshi — effectively resurrecting the founder.
V is taken to an Arasaka orbital station for the Relic removal procedure, which is revealed to be the Soulkiller program. The procedure succeeds but V's body has been irreparably damaged by the Relic. Two sub-endings:
- Sign the contract: V's engram is stored in Mikoshi until a compatible body is found — essentially becoming an Arasaka asset forever.
- Refuse: V returns to Earth with six months to live, dying on their own terms.
The Devil ending's epilogue is deeply bleak. The voicemail montage shows all of V's friends reacting with horror, disappointment, or distance. Takemura, if alive, visits V and quotes a haiku about cherry blossoms.
The Sun (Rogue Path / Afterlife Legend)
V enlists Rogue to assault Arasaka Tower. The assault is a full combat sequence through the tower's lobby, data center, and Mikoshi access point. Rogue pilots a combat drone while V fights alongside her. The mission is much harder than the Devil path due to fewer friendly NPCs and no Arasaka support.
Boss fight — Adam Smasher: Full cyberpsycho loadout with Projectile Launch System, Sandevistan, and homing missiles. Use the pillars for cover. During Phase 2, Smasher summons turrets and unleashes a room-clearing charge. Strategy: Cyberware Malfunction + Short Circuit combo disables his Sandy and deals bonus damage to his mechanical components. In Phase 3, he activates a shoulder-mounted missile salvo — use the double jump to avoid the splash.
After defeating Smasher, V jacks into Mikoshi. Alt Cunningham separates Johnny from V, but V's body cannot sustain both consciousnesses. V keeps the body.
Epilogue: V becomes the new owner of the Afterlife bar and the top merc in Night City. The final scene shows V preparing for a space heist at the Crystal Palace casino, with Mr. Blue Eyes as the client. This ending is widely interpreted as setting up the sequel (Project Orion).
The Star (Panam / Aldecaldo Path)
V calls Panam from the rooftop. The Aldecaldos mobilize their entire clan for the assault on Arasaka Tower. The mission features combined arms — you drive the Basilisk tank alongside Panam, with Saul and the Aldecaldos providing covering fire.
Basilisk sequence: V and Panam pilot the tank through the Arasaka construction site and into the tower's underground tunnel. The Basilisk has a main cannon (unlimited ammo) and a coaxial machine gun. Use the cannon for mechs and armored vehicles, the MG for infantry.
The assault culminates in reaching Mikoshi. The Adam Smasher fight here is the easiest version because the Basilisk softens the approach and Aldecaldo reinforcements can draw aggro.
Epilogue: V leaves Night City with Panam and the Aldecaldos, heading toward Arizona. The relationship with Panam cements, and the clan promises to use their connections to find a cure for V's condition. The voicemail montage is the warmest of all endings, with Judy (if romanced) joining V and the clan on the road.
Temperance (Johnny Takes the Body)
Available from any path. When V reaches Mikoshi and Alt offers the choice, V gives the body to Johnny permanently. Johnny, now in full control, leaves Night City.
Epilogue: Johnny visits V's friends one by one, including Rogue's grave (if she died during the assault). He buys a guitar from a street vendor and boards a bus out of Night City, leaving a voicemail for V's engram in cyberspace. The guitar strumming over the credits is Johnny's final gesture — the rockerboy who finally grew up.
(Don't Fear) The Reaper — Secret Ending
Unlock condition: During the Chippin' In quest, at the Oil Fields after Johnny's grave, the dialogue must go:
- "Nah, fucked that up too."
- "What do you want from me?"
- "OK. But as second chances go, this is your last."
After selecting this chain, wait on the rooftop for 5 real-time minutes without choosing any option. Johnny will suggest a reckless alternative: V storms Arasaka Tower alone, with no support, no backup, and no second chances.
Combat: This is the hardest finale by far. V fights through the entire Arasaka Tower lobby, security floor, and executive level alone. The enemy density is the highest in the game. Death is permanent — no checkpoints, no retries. You restart from the rooftop if you die.
Key prep: Max level (50), fully upgraded iconic weapons, at minimum 3-4 of the best healing items (Bounce Back Mk.3), and a fully optimized build. The Netrunner build with Overclock + Synapse Burnout is the safest. Health drops continuously (the Relic's damage accelerates), so speed is essential.
Boss fight against Adam Smasher is the same as in The Sun path, but without Rogue's drone support. The Smasher fight here is the definitive test of your build.
Epilogue: V becomes the Afterlife legend, same as The Sun, but with unique dialogue reflecting the solo assault. The achievement "The Devil's Advocate" unlocks only via this ending.
Missable Content & Attribute Checks
| Quest | Check | What It Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| The Pickup | Tech 6 | Disarm detonator to free Brick |
| The Pickup | Int 10 | Hack Meredith's chip to remove malware |
| The Heist | Tech 7 | Open AV pad door to get Satori katana |
| Disasterpiece | Tech 12 | Bypass three guard encounters |
| Disasterpiece | Body 10 | Force grate open to skip maze |
| Gimme Danger | Tech 15 | Disable power (cameras + turrets for 30s) |
| Search and Destroy | N/A | Go back for Takemura (missable, permanent) |
| Chippin' In | N/A | Exact Oil Fields dialogue for secret ending |
Next Steps After Completion
After any ending, the game returns you to the point of no return (Embers), allowing you to experience all endings on a single save. All iconic weapons, vehicles, and cyberware earned during an ending sequence carry back. This makes it feasible to 100% the game without multiple full playthroughs, though the secret ending requires its own build and preparation.
